Ilya Kovalchuk's KHL appearance raises speculation

Ilya Kovalchuk, shown last month in the Channel One Cup, created a Twitter buzz by suiting up for SKA St. Petersburg on Tuesday.(Photo: Alexander Nemenov, AFP/Getty Images)

While most NHL players are scrambling joyously to return from their European employment, New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk played Tuesday for the Russia-based SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League.

Kovalchuk had an assist for SKA, while Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk, who's still in Russia, didn't play for his CSKA Moscow team on Tuesday.

Those facts have fueled a Twitter buzz that has spread over the hockey world like wildfire: Is Kovalchuk thinking about staying in Russia?

After the game, Kovalchuk told Sport Express he is in no hurry to return without scrutinizing the fine print of the tentative agreement. Players are expected to finish their ratification vote by Saturday with camps opening on Sunday.

He added, "SKA brass, which includes people from (Vladimir) Putin's inner circle, is quite friendly with Kovalchuk and has never hidden its desire to keep him."

Or, maybe he was just trying to help his first-place team as much as he could before he left. After all, Kovalchuk is SKA's captain. Maybe he's just being a good guy, taking a risk because he had made a commitment to this Russian team.

New York Islanders defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky said this week that he was staying in the KHL for family reasons. He suited up for Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday.

Since it involves the Russians, we all want to buy into the conspiracy theory that Kovalchuk will be lured away. But it sure seems that the most likely scenario is that Kovalchuk will be back with the Devils this season.

The KHL does have an agreement in place to honor NHL contracts, and the timing of starting a war with the NHL would not be ideal, considering that the league hasn't yet committed to sending its players to the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

KHL President Alexander Medvedev told sportsdaily.ru: "During the lockout, the contracts were broken, and new conditions may not match the old. In such a situation, there is a legal opinion that the player can make their own decision: accept his new contract terms or to exercise the right to play hockey in another league. Maybe legally it is not that simple."

Plus, let's not forget that even on a pro-rated basis, Kovalchuk is set to earn $6.667 million of his $11 million this season. He has more than $83 million left on his contract. His original back-diving contract with the Devils was rejected by the league and led to penalties against the team for cap circumvention.